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Molly McDowell
Molly McDowell grew up in Thomson, Ga., in the big brick house that stands at the fork in the road near the railroad tracks. Anyone in town can tell you exactly how to find it. Just like that grand home, McDowell is sophisticated and, at the same time, settled with herself. Unlike that house, however, Molly isn’t content to passively perch in the fork in the road and watch life flow by. McDowell is running with it. After finishing her bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing at the University of Georgia and working in Atlanta art galleries for several years, McDowell returned to Augusta with experience under her belt and an idea under her hat. She opened the very successful Mary Pauline Gallery downtown. But there’s so much more to Molly McDowell.
What inspired you to open Mary Pauline Gallery?
I worked at the McIntosh Gallery in Atlanta for two years under Louisa McIntosh. That experience shaped who I was to become. I fell in love with the business side of art. I loved building relationships with artists and the process of putting an art exhibit together. It fed my creativity.
After 10 years you closed Mary Pauline Gallery in 2008, but you’re still involved with the art world. What is Mary Pauline Projects?
It was a hard decision to close Mary Pauline. But the economy was shifting. I wanted to spend more time with my family. I felt like it was time to call it quits. I was pulled back in when MCGHealth contracted me to help them acquire southern art, as local as possible, for the new cancer center. Now I’m working on the entire collection for MCGHealth. Mary Pauline Projects is the consulting firm behind it.
What’s next on the agenda for Molly McDowell?
Girls on the Run. It’s a confidence and self-esteem building organization that works with girls in third, fourth and fifth grades. They train girls to run 5Ks. At the same time they help them at those pivotal ages think open-mindedly about themselves. What other people say, what they see in the media, makes girls view themselves in a certain way. The goal is to get them to think independently at a young age.
How did you get involved with Girls on the Run?
As a runner myself. I run with a group of women every morning at 5:30 a.m. It saves us from having to go see a therapist. A friend of my sister’s, who is also a runner, called me up and said she knew about an organization I’d be interested in. The more I looked into Girls on the Run, the more I knew we needed to bring it to this area.
What’s it going to take to do that?
It’s starting in Aiken County this fall. We hope to have it in Richmond County by the spring. We need to raise about $10,000. That’s essentially my role right now, getting sponsorships and donations.
How are running and art connected for you?
I first started running while in Cortona, Italy, when I was 21. I was participating in University of Georgia’s art program abroad. I needed to do some problem solving and I started just jogging around the mountain every day. I think it just opens your mind.
Why Girls on the Run over another organization?
I have such a bond with so many different friends through running. I see what it’s done for me and I want that for my daughter, for my daughter’s friends, for all little girls. My labor of love will be getting Girls on the Run up and going with our inaugural group.
